Hawaii Highways and Roads

Welcome to the Gribblenation Hawaii Highways and Roads page, your destination to find all things related to the road networks in the state of Hawaii. Below you find a compilation of all existing Gribblenation and Roadwaywiz media (along with contributions from Josh Schmid, Oscar Voss and Scott Onson) related to the highway networks in Hawaiian Islands. Pictured above as the page cover is Hawaii Route 360 on Hana Highway along the northern shore of Maui.

An intro the highway networks of Hawaii

Prior to the Statehood the first signed highways within Hawaii Territory came into existence during World War II. During World War II the territory of Hawaii saw an influx of military activity following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Numerous Military Routes and early Hawaii Routes were signed through the Hawaiian Territory to aid military personnel in navigating the islands. Military Highways were assigned US Route style shields whereas lesser highways were assigned an early variation of what is now the Hawaii Route Spade.

A 1946 Army Map of the Island of Oahu shows the existing Military and Hawaii Routes during the World War II era. There is no indication that any World War II era Military and Hawaii Routes were located on the other islands. A full version of the 1946 Army Map of Oahu can be seen on hawaiihighways.com here.

Circa 1955 following the conclusion of World War II the United States Bureau of Public Roads renumbered the Hawaii Route System. The 1955 Hawaii Route Renumbering saw most of the conventions utilized by the current Hawaii State Route System established. Primary Hawaii Routes were given two-digit numbers whereas Secondary Hawaii Routes were given three-digit numbers. The Hawaii Routes were assigned in sequence for what Island/County they were located on coupled with what Federal Aid Program number they were tied to. Oahu was assigned route numbers in the range of 60-99, Kauai was assigned numbers 50-59, Molokai (now also Lanai) was assigned 41-49, Maui was assigned numbers in the range of 30-40 and the Big Island (Hawaii) was assigned 11-29.

The initial 1955 Hawaii Route era network can be viewed on the 1959 Gousha Road Map of Hawaii.

On August 21, 1959, Hawaii became the 50th State which saw its profile rise significantly. The Interstate System in Hawaii was authorized as part of the 1960 Statehood Act. The 1960 Statehood Act authorized Interstates H-1, H-2 and H-3 on the Island of Oahu. Interstate H-4 was proposed as a supplemental freeway in Honolulu during 1968 but was never approved for construction.

Interstate H-2 was fully completed and opened to traffic February 21, 1977, which was followed by Intestate H-1 being fully completed by May 1986. On April 6, 1988, the Honolulu Division Administrator of the Hawaii Department of Transportation submitted a request to the Federal Highway Administration to add entirety of Hawaii Route 78 and the Moanalua Freeway to the Interstate System as Interstate H-1A. On November 1, 1989, The Federal Highway Administration informed the Hawaii Department of Transportation that Hawaii Route 78/Moanalua Freeway was approved to be added to the Interstate System as Interstate H-1A. On December 8, 1990, the AASHTO Executive Committee approved the designation of Interstate H-201 on the Moanalua Freeway.

The corridor of Interstate H-3 was the most contentious of the constructed Interstates on Oahu and would open to traffic across the Koolau Range on December 12, 1997.